Roads Closed After Crash Spills Pesticide
Two streets in Oxnard were closed for several hours Monday after a two-vehicle collision spilled nearly 50 gallons of pesticide in the intersection, the California Highway Patrol said.
The accident occurred about 1:30 p.m., when a pesticide truck driven by Keith Kodish, 37, of Ventura was struck from behind as it was turning from 5th Street onto Wood Road, Officer Steven Reid said.
A sprayer containing a mildly toxic pesticide was thrown from Kodish’s pickup. Neither Kodish nor the driver in the other car, Reginald Payton, 36, of Oxnard, was hurt.
The two roads were closed in both directions for about four hours, while hazardous-material teams from the Sheriff’s Department and County Fire Department cleaned up the spill, officials said.
Tom Heard, manager of Candlelight Pest Control, based in Chatsworth, said the chemical was a synthetic pyrethroid used to kill pests such as spiders, ants and termites.
Kodish was en route to a job in Oxnard when the crash occurred, Heard said.
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